sociology exam 3 lecture 6-8

Why do people over-estimate the non-white population? What does this mean sociologically? Typical explanations include: (2)

"Because I am young and we are more diverse as a group than old people." - A decent point; more diversity exists among the young than the old. - However, older people also hugely overestimate the non-white population (just like young people).

Why do people over-estimate the non-white population? What does this mean sociologically? Typical explanations include: (1)

"Because I grew up in an all-Black or all-Latino neighborhood." = One's individual, subjective experience is often different from the objective reality.

Why do people over-estimate the non-white population? What does this mean sociologically? Typical explanations include: (3)

"There is a lot of media coverage of non-whites on the news, in music videos, in sports—on TV and in films." - The media often tells us the country is becoming more diverse, but there are many differences between the media's portrayal of race and what is actually taking place in society.

economic and education

- A public school serving primarily wealthy White students has a 1 in 4 chance of producing consistently high standardized test scores. - A public school serving primarily poor, non-White students has a 1 in 300 chance of producing high test scores.

conditions of slavery have varied across time. variable dimensions of slavery include:

1. permanence - e.g., roman slaves could buy themselves out of slavery (rare) 2. inheritability - often children of slaves become slaves themselves, but not always (e.g. in ancient Mexico children of slaves were free) 3. power - most examples of slavery reveal slaves to be poor; rare examples exist where slaves own property and accumulate money

slavery in the contemporary world is practiced in...

- the Ivory Coast - niger - sudan

Attitudes may not motivate behavior:

A famous study by Richard LaPiere (1934) revealed much about the relationship between racial attitudes and social conduct

ancestry

A person's ancestry is his or her family lineage. - Ancestry represents tribal, regional, or national affiliations. - The symbolic category of race often uses ancestry to organize people into bounded groupings.

phenotype

A person's phenotype is his or her physical appearance and constitution, including skeletal structure, height, hair texture, eye color, and skin tone. - The symbolic category of race often uses phenotype to organize people into bounded groupings.

Reasons to be optimistic about the current state of race in America:

1. Legally enforced racism no longer exists. 2. America continues to implement forms of institutional integration, and diversity is seen as an asset. 3. Examples of successful people of color have set a high standard for potential success (e.g. Barack Obama). 4. Today's youth are much more open minded than were past generations.

Five major racial taxonomies define the United States:

1. Native Americans and Alaskan Natives 2. Asians and Pacific Islanders 3. African Americans (or Blacks) 4. Hispanics (or Latinos) 5. Caucasians (or Whites)

glass walls

Glass walls are metaphorical barriers that keep minorities or women from moving laterally within an organization. - It is more likely for the dominant group in an organization to move from position to position as compared to women and minorities.

Melvin Tumin(1953) disagreed with Davis and Moore's theory of stratification by raising the following criticisms: (1)

How does one determine that positions that offer greater rewards are actually more important?

Melvin Tumin(1953) disagreed with Davis and Moore's theory of stratification by raising the following criticisms: (3)

If social stratification is functional for society it ought to benefit everyone, but it is dysfunctional for many.

Melvin Tumin(1953) disagreed with Davis and Moore's theory of stratification by raising the following criticisms: (2)

If stratification actually operated as Davis and Moore describe, society would be a meritocracy; this is not so as other variables are better determinants of success than merit.

employment inequalities

In the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data for the end of 2016, 4% of Whites, 3% of Asians, 6% of Hispanics, and 8% of Blacks were unemployed. - Since 1940, the unemployment rate of Blacks has been nearly twice that of Whites. - Over half of Native Americans on some reservations are unemployed.

income distribution

Income varies enormously in industrial societies. - The ratio of highest to lowest incomes in the U.S. is approximately 100,000 to 1. - Income of the lowest-earning industrial households are 7-28 times higher than corresponding households in industrializing nations.

the role of teachers

Teaching is one of the lowest paid professions in the United States. - Qualified teachers have little incentive to teach in poor neighborhoods. - In predominantly poor, non-White areas, students are often taught by unqualified teachers (as many as 1 in 5) .

social class in the US can be conceived as a 7-tier stratified system: (1)

The capitalist class (1% of the population) is composed of investors, heirs, and a few executives; it is divided into "old" money and "new" money. - The children of "new" money move into the old money class by attending the right schools and marrying "old" money

theoretical perspective on race: the conflict perspective

The conflict perspective assumes that society is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups. - According to the conflict perspective, competition takes place between groups with unequal amounts of economic or political power.

Immanuel Wallerstein created world systems theory, which assumes... (3)

The contemporary world system is an international system of economic and political stratification in which nations compete for control.

family dynamics

The family greatly determines the value one places on education, and the willingness to invest in education. - Some families do not value education as an end in itself, and thus do not strive to acquire a formal education. - Differing values toward formal education tend to vary by social class (and thus race).

theoretical perspective on race: the functionalist perspective

The functionalist perspective emphasizes how parts of society are structured to maintain its stability.

glass ceiling

The glass ceiling is a metaphor for the invisible barrier that blocks the promotion of a qualified worker because of gender or minority membership. - Women and minority promotion in organizations often stops at a certain point, while the dominant group (White males) often continues to be promoted.

glass escalator

The glass escalator is a metaphorical term representing male advantages for promotion over similarly qualified women or minority workers. - In organizations, White males are often put on a fast-track for promotion and are thus promoted more quickly and more often than women or minorities.

social class in the US can be conceived as a 7-tier stratified system: (7)

The homeless are so far down the class structure that their position must be considered even lower than the underclass. - They are the "fallout" of industrialization, especially the postindustrial developments that have led to a decline in the demand for unskilled labor.

theoretical perspectives on race: the labeling approach

The labeling approach is an attempt to explain why certain people are viewed as deviant and why others who engage in the same behavior are not - Labeling theory shows how dominant group definitions are self-fulfilling prophecies that have real consequences for subordinate groups.

social class in the US can be conceived as a 7-tier stratified system: (3)

The lower-middle class (34% of the population) is composed of lower managers, craftspeople, and foremen. - They have at least a high-school education.

the sociology of race and ethnicity

The sociology of race and ethnicity begins with an understanding that all societies are characterized by members having unequal wealth, prestige, and power. - Sociologists have observed that entire groups have more or less of what a society values (groups associated with race, class, gender)

social class in the US can be conceived as a 7-tier stratified system: (6)

The underclass (4%-5% of the population) is concentrated in the inner cities and has little connection with the job market. - Welfare is their main support.

social class in the US can be conceived as a 7-tier stratified system: (2)

The upper-middle class (15% of the population) is composed of professionals and upper managers, almost all of whom have attended college or university and frequently have postgraduate degrees. - This class is the one most shaped by education.

social class in the US can be conceived as a 7-tier stratified system: (4)

The working class (30% of the population) is composed of factory workers and low-paid white collar workers. - Most have high-school educations.

social class in the US can be conceived as a 7-tier stratified system: (5)

The working poor(16% of the population) is composed of relatively unskilled blue-collar and white-collar workers, and those with temporary and seasonal jobs. - If they graduated from high school, they probably did not do well in school.

typical results from national polls: race in America

When asked, most Americans say Blacks represent 30% of the U.S. population, and Asians represent 10%. - Most Americans think Whites are a much smaller percentage of the population than they actually are. - Most Americans believe TRIPLE the amount of Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics exist in the population than really do.

gender differences in education

Women are graduating from college at higher rates than men. - Women earn the majority of bachelors degrees. - Women also earn the majority of masters degrees (men still earn the majority of Ph.D.'s...but the gap is decreasing)

social stratification

a system in which groups of people are divided into layers according to their relative property, power, and prestige - every society stratifies its members

Karl marx

believed the transition from feudalism to industrial capitalism created a new class system - new technologies allowed goods to be produced in factories - factories allowed increases in production that created two economic classes (the bourgeoisie and the proletariat)

estate system

common during the Middle Ages in Europe and were classified 3 ways: 1. nobility 2. clergy 3. serfs (commoners)

stratification and power

gaetano mosca argued that every society is stratified by power

structural mobility

involves social changes that affect large numbers of people. - E.g. when computers were invented many opportunities opened up for people to switch from blue-collar to white-collar work. - While individual effort played a role, the major reason for the change in position was structural.

class system

relatively fluid social systems based on money or material possessions defined by: - social mobility - achieved status rather than ascribed status (sort of)

social mobility

represents movement up or down the social class ladder; it takes 3 forms: 1. intergenerational mobility 2. structural mobility 3. exchange mobility

individualistic fallacy

represents the idea that racism is assumed to belong to the realm of ideas and prejudices. - Racism is not always intentional; it exists in our habits and social institutions. - Labeling someone a racist treats racism as something aberrant and strange, whereas American racism is quite normal.

max weber

social class is represented by 3 variables: 1. class - represents property or wealth an individual controls 2. power - represents one's ability control others 3. status - represents one's relative prestige, based on one's class and power

caste system

status is ascribed (determined by birth), groups are endogamous, boundaries are strictly enforced, and membership is lifelong ex. include: South Africa - apartheid classified people by race: Europeans (whites), africans (blacks), coloureds (mixed race), and asians india - india provides the best examples of a caste system (abolished in 1949, but it still resonates)

slavery

the ownership of people and remains a practice even in the Industrial Age

tracking

the practice of sorting students into different tracks, according to their perceived ability. - Asians and Whites are disproportionately assigned to higher tracks. - Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans are often assigned to lower tracks.

Colonialism

the process by which one nation takes over another nation, usually for the purpose of exploiting its labor and natural resources. - This perspective stresses that industrialized countries had a significant head start compared to other world nations. - E.g. Great Britain amassed a large army and invaded weaker nations, then set up colonies which exploited labor and resources over time.

stereotype

unreliable generalizations about all members of a population that do not take individual differences into account. - Stereotypes are often exaggerated, negative images of a group. - Stereotypes often become self-fulfilling prophecies that affect how we feel and relate to others.

Do attitudes predict behavior, i.e. does being prejudiced predict if one will discriminate?

yes and no

ethnicity and nationality

Ethnicity and nationality are overlapping symbolic categories. - Ethnicity is a shared lifestyle informed by cultural, historical, religious, and/or national affiliations. - Nationality represents membership in a specific, politically delineated territory controlled by a government.

economic inequality

- Economic inequality and educational inequality are closely related. - Students with highly educated and wealthy parents are advantaged in the educational realm. - Because of racialized economic inequality, lower social class parents have fewer resources to invest in schooling

Sociology uses terms you may be familiar with in very specific ways:

- Majority represents those who are dominant. - Minority represents those who are subordinate.

Three main perspectives explain why the world is stratified in the industrial era:

1. Colonialism 2. Culture of poverty 3. World systems theory

The following are institutionalized forms of discrimination, common in organizations and in the workplace:

1. Glass ceiling 2. Glass walls 3. Glass escalator

Reasons why race continues to be an issue in America:

1. Hate crimes 2. Employment inequalities 3. Poverty 4. Incarceration disparities

Five characteristics define minority/subordinate groups:

1. Unequal treatment and less power over one's life. 2. Distinguishing physical or cultural traits that the dominant group holds in low regard. 3. Involuntary membership or ascribed status. 4. Group solidarity and awareness of subordinate status and oppression. 5. Marital endogamy (patterns of in-group marriage)

causes of slavery include:

1. debt 2. crime 3. war 4. exploitation

To understand educational inequality one must consider the following:

1. economic inequality 2. family dynamics 3. cultural dynamics 4. school dynamics

Functions that racial beliefs have for dominant groups include:

1. racist ideologies provide justification for unequal treatment 2. racial ideologies discourage subordinate people from attempting to question their low status 3. racial ideologies justify existing practices but also serve as a rallying point for social movements 4. racist beliefs provide support for the existing social order 5. racial ideologies perpetuate economic and educational problems of subordinate groups

common system of social stratification include:

1. slavery 2. caste systems 3. estate systems 4. class systems

Race is commonly understood in two ways:

1.Biological meaning of race - Biologically there are no pure, distinct races. 2.Social construction of race - Race is important because of the social meaning people have attached to it. Racism is a doctrine that one race is superior.

Elites in society generally try and dominate a society's institutions and control the population through the following means:

1.Determining/promoting ideologies that validate the status quo. 2.Controlling the flow of information. 3.Controlling technology.

There are five fallacies regarding race:

1.Individualistic fallacy 2. Legalistic fallacy 3. Tokenistic fallacy 4. Ahistorical fallacy 5. Fixed fallacy

Three tiers of nations define the world system:

1.The core - The powerful Western industrialized countries. 2.The semi-periphery - The semi-periphery represents industrializing nations between the core and periphery (Mexico). 3.The periphery - Periphery nations are undeveloped societies. - Periphery nations are highly dependent on the core.

Three main sociological perspectives can be used to understand race:

1.The functionalist perspective 2.The conflict perspective 3.The labeling approach (symbolic int.)

race, education, and stratification

American neighborhoods are segregated; where one lives determines where one goes to school. - Schools remain separate and unequal(even though legalized segregation is no more).

Power stratification is inevitable for three reasons... (3)

Because human nature is self-centered, people in power will use their positions to seize greater rewards

the crisis of education and race

Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans are more likely to drop out of high school than Whites or Asians. - Asian, White, and Black high school seniors are far more likely to submit college applications than Hispanic seniors. - Hispanic college attendance remains the lowest in the country, compared to Whites, Blacks, and Asians (not at CSUN however: see next slide).

hate crimes

Close to 6,000 hate crimes were reported by the FBI in 2015. - Over half these crimes were motivated by racial hatred. - This represents only those hate crimes that are reported.

cultural and social capital questions

Consider the following questions: 1. How did your family prepare you for college? 2. Did your parents pass down a form of cultural or social capital to you? 3. How might your comfort level on the CSUN campus be indicative of your cultural capital? How would you feel at Stanford, or an Ivy League campus like Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, or Princeton?

cultural and social capital

Cultural capital is the sum total of one's knowledge of established cultural activities and practices. - Cultural capital operates as unspoken values, dispositions, and social/behavioral expectations that often distinguish one's status compared to others. - Social capital is the sum of all resources one accrues by virtue of being connected to a network of people.

cultural dynamics

Different forms of culture can be understood as resources that lead to academic success. Cultural resources take two forms: 1. Cultural capital 2. Social capital

Attitudes can motivate behavior:

E.g. if a person thinks American cars are better than foreign cars, they may be more likely to buy an American car.

culture of poverty

Economist John Kenneth Galbraith (1979) created the culture of poverty perspective. - The culture of poverty thesis assumes that values and fatalistic religious beliefs of the poor make them fundamentally different from others; these values perpetuate their poverty. - E.g. most of the world's poor are farmers who barely produce enough to survive; they continue to struggle because they know and hope for no other way

why is social stratification universal?

Kingsley Davis (1945) and Wilbert Moore (1953) concluded that stratification in society is inevitable. Why? 1. Society must make certain its positions are filled. 2. Some positions are more important than others. 3. More important positions must be filled by more qualified people. 4. Greater rewards are necessary to motivate the more qualified to fill important positions.

Power stratification is inevitable for three reasons... (2)

Leadership (or political organization) requires inequalities of power. By definition, some people take leadership positions, while others follow.

Power stratification is inevitable for three reasons... (1)

No society can exist unless it is organized. This requires leadership in order to coordinate people's actions.

cultural/social capital and voluntary vs. involuntary migration

One might wonder why some racial groups have succeeded in America compared to others; the answer is partly due to the varying nature of voluntary vs. involuntary migration to the U.S. - Certain racial groups were brought to the U.S. against their will, while others voluntarily migrated here. - Economic privileges of voluntary minorities accrued in their home countries often translate into other kinds of privileges in the U.S.

prejudice and discrimination

Prejudice is a negative attitude toward an entire category of people. - Discrimination involves behavior that excludes members of a group from certain rights, opportunities, or privileges. - Ethnophaulism is a form of discrimination that refers to ethnic slurs, derisive nicknames, or speaking about a group condescendingly.

race as a social reality

Race is a symbolic category, based on phenotype or ancestry and constructed according to specific social and historical contexts. - Race is usually misrecognized as a natural category.

Dysfunctions that racial beliefs have for dominant groups include: (2)

Racial beliefs aggravate social problems, and create a financial burden of alleviating problems on the dominant group.

Dysfunctions that racial beliefs have for dominant groups include: (1)

Racial beliefs fail to utilize human potential and limit the search for talent and leadership to benefit the dominant group.

Dysfunctions that racial beliefs have for dominant groups include: (3)

Racial beliefs increase the investment of time and money to defend barriers that prevent full participation of all.

Dysfunctions that racial beliefs have for dominant groups include: (5)

Racial beliefs inhibit social change.

Dysfunctions that racial beliefs have for dominant groups include: (6)

Racial beliefs promote disrespect for law enforcement and the peaceful settlements of disputes.

Dysfunctions that racial beliefs have for dominant groups include: (4)

Racial beliefs undermine diplomatic ties between nations and affect efforts to increase global trade.

stereotyping in action

Racial profiling is an example of stereotyping in action. - Racial profiling generally refers to police-initiated action based on race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than a person's behavior. - Racial profiling involves the explicit reliance on racial stereotypes.

Racial Taxonomy

Racial taxonomies are race-based classification systems that, in naming different races, actually serve to create them. - Racial taxonomies are important only in that they are social constructions that represent different life experiences.

the role of schools

Schools are powerful institutions that aid the continuation of educational inequalities. - The average White student attends a school that is at least 87% White. - 7 out of 10 Latinos and African Americans attend schools where the majority is non-White.

Immanuel Wallerstein created world systems theory, which assumes... (1)

Since 1500 most of the world has had contact with the modernizing nations of Europe; by 1800 the scope of this contact increased so that European colonial empires controlled world trade.

Immanuel Wallerstein created world systems theory, which assumes... (2)

Since 1900 the colonial empires broke up, and have been replaced with economic control through a system of trade.

genetics and race

Some believe there are different biological "races," but genetics reveals this is not so. - We share 99.9% of the same genes with other human beings. - There is more genetic variation within racial groups than between them. - Racial difference does not exist on the genetic level!

biological determinism

asserts that races are distinct and separate for biological and genetic reasons. - These arguments have often been used to justify injustices and naturalize inequalities, yet there is no scientific support for them. - Biological determinism is bad science.

ahistorical fallacy

assumes history is inconsequential to race. - However, all that is socially constructed is historically constructed. - The United States is only 200 years old; all of American history is recent history.

fixed fallacy

assumes racism is fixed and constant across time and space. - However, racism is always morphing; it is unquantifiable. - One cannot conclude that racism has disappeared just because it doesn't resemble that of the 1950s.

legalistic fallacy

assumes that abolishing racist laws effectively abolishes racism. - E.g. laws against car theft do not ensure that your car won't get stolen. - Brown vs. Board of Education abolished de jure segregation in schools, but schools remain relatively segregated (with some indications of a resurgence in school segregation).

tokenistic fallacy

assumes that the presence of people of color in influential positions is evidence that racism no longer exists. - E.g. how can the financial success of Oprah Winfrey coexist with the economic deprivation of millions of black women?

intergenerational mobility

describes change that family members make in their social class from one generation to the next. - As a result of individual effort, a person can rise from one level to another. - In the event of individual failure, the reverse can be true.

exchange mobility

describes movement of people up and down the social class system, where the system remains the same. - The term refers to general, overall movement of large numbers of people that leaves the class system balanced and unchanged.